Steam engine



20, 1938. -R. H. BLOCKER STEAM ENGINE 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. so, 1956 INVENTOR.

' Dee;l 20, -1938.

' R, H. BLOCKER STEAM ENGINE Filed NOV.- 50, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v I l I IVVENTYOR.

'Patented Dec. 20, 19x38.k

-,f fU-NiTED Y,srxrlssg PATENT OFFICE STEAM ENGINE nobm'n. Blocker, san Francisco, Calif. ,Y Application November so, 1936, 'serial No. ,113,356

3. claims.' (cl. 121-97) j' I "I'his invention relates to improvements in oscillating poppet valve engines of the type employing steam for propulsion purposes.

kThelprincipalobjeots'of myinvention are: to

y providean oscillating type poppet valve., engine embodying .a compactassembly wherein reciprocating Aparts are eliminated; to` provide an engine of the type characterized in which, by reafson of theabsence ofthe usual reciprocating parts,vibration, leakagesA and. packing rdiiiculties; are reduced to a minimum; to provideY an engine wherein replacements oiremoval of parts for inspection purposes are capable of being readilymade; and to provide a simplified andhighly -efcientfengine in which by reason of its comparatively few working parts, the cost of manufracture,r operation and maintenance are com-l paratively small. v I

' The present invention embodies the use of poppet valves for controlling the steam orr other l pressurer medium.' and an oscillating orswinging wedge-shaped piston which Yis adapted to actuate suitable mechanism for rotatingy a crank shaft. The piston is substantially wedge-shaped in cross section and is formed integrally with or suitably secured tol a sleeve member, which is secured to a pivoted shaft. The piston at its sidesl is provided with suitable sealing members which are designed to prevent` leakage of the pressuremedium and to take up or compensate for the wear due to their frictional engagement engines of this type. Y

with the cylinder wall. The engine also embodies a variable control forthe steam admitted tothe cylinder comprising roller and cam mechanism, as well as other features not found in- Inthe accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional @view-'taken through an oscillating engine em- Aical in form, and provided with suitable projecting members 2 on its exterior for supporting purposes.r The exteriorof the casing is preferably provided with a number of reenforcing ribs or projections 3. Suitably secured to the semispherical casing I is a bottom yplate or member 4. The bottom plate is provided with a hole' 5 which'has a circular valve seatV member B extending around its kcircumferential edge, thesaid Vport the main shaft I1 of the engine.

valve seat member being suitably secured to the bottomgplateby suitable means. Secured to the valve seat member 6 and to the bottom platey 4, asby studs or other suitable means, is an admission valve throat 1. spaced admission valve throats 1, and each is suitably secured to the bottom plate 4 by studs or other suitable means. There are also provided as part of the engine, two exhaust valve means embodying substantially the same construction as the admission valve means. The admission valve throats each have an inlet pipe 8 which connects with a central passage 9. Axially dis- There are two suitably i posed in the central passage 9 of the throat 1 is f Y against an end plate 1'- secured to the throat 1 and its opposite end bears against an outwardly disposed annular flange I3' provided on the said piston I3. The yspring I4 normally, but yieldably, maintains the valve head I I in a closed position on the valve seat member 6, thereby normally preventing steam from entering the casingl from the passage 9.

Y YThe exhaust valves and their associated mechanisms 'are similar in construction to the admission valves. and it is to be understood that they are operated in the same way as the admission valves. y v I Suitably secured to the bottom plate 4 are depending` brackets I5 which serve to support a plurality of main bearings I6 that rotatably sup- The main shaft I1 is longitudinally disposed and has a slidable cylinder I8 to which are secured suitably shapedA admission cams I9 and similarly shaped exhaust cams I9 located at opposite-ends of said cylinder. A channel formed by two annular protuberances 2I provided on the cylinder I8 provides a suitable groove in which an operating finger 22 ispositioned so as to move the same cylmechanism to be actuated, and a crank 25 having a connecting rod 26 is secured to its opposite end. The connecting rod is attached to an oscillating crank 21 mounted on a pivoted oscillating shaft 28. The oscillating crank 21 is so proportioned with respect to the crank 25 that the crank 25 makes one complete revolution when the crank 21 makes its oscillating movement in both directions.

A hollow wedge-like piston 29 having a sleeve or cylinder 30 formed integrally therewith divides the interior of the casing into two chambers and is adapted to be actuated back and forth in-` side the casing by steam or other pressure medium directed against it, rst on one side and then on the opposite side. n rigidly secured to the shaft 28, and thepiston 29, the sleeve 30 and the shaft 28 are thereby adapted to oscillate as a unit. The bottom plate 4 is provided centrally with a longitudinally disposed curved part 4 which accommodates the sleeve 30, and a sealing strip 3| located in a slot in the said curved part of the plate and engaging with the said sleeve is adapted to prevent leakage of steam around the piston from one chamber of the casing to the other chamber.

The arcuate side and the opposite ends of the piston 29 are provided with groves 32 which hold sealing members 33, the extreme ends of which are provided with enlarged parts 34 that have inclined surfaces at their underneath sides with which wedges 35 engage. The enlarged parts 34 of each sealing member are provided with oppositely disposed inclined surfaces at their upper sides which engage with beveled sides 32 of the piston, the said beveled sides being located at opposite ends of the grooves 32 and the engagement of the said enlarged parts 34 with the beveled sides l32 thereby prevents the central portion of the said sealing member from engaging too firmly with the dome-shaped Wall of the casing. The wedges 35 are housed inside suitable retaining guides 30 formed in the piston, and springs 31 also located in the guides urge the wedges outwardly against the enlarged ends 34 of the sealing members. The sealing members 33 being urged outwardly by the spring pressed wedges 35 into rm contact with the walls of the casing I, prevent leakage of steam or other pressure medium from one side of the piston to its opposite side. The wear of either the sealing members 33 or the walls of the casing are automatically compensated for by the spring-pressed wedges 35 urging the ends of the sealing members outwardly. The sealing members are prevented from wearing too rapidly at their central portions by their being restrained or held downwardly by the enlarged ends engaging with the piston where the beveled sides 32 of the grooves 32 occur.

The pistons I3 of the admission valves are each connected by a link 38 to a bell-crank 39 which carries a beveled roller 40 at its free end. The bell-crank 39 is pivotally mounted at its central part on a rigid bar 4I secured to suitable supporting means. The beveled rollers 4110 are adapted to ride on cam members I9 of the sleeve I8. The c am members I9 have their surfaces suitably formed to provide means for operating the pistons I3 so the valve heads may be opened and closed at proper intervals. The cam members I9 have arcuate raised surfaces, which when the rollers 40 ride thereon, serve to lower the valve heads I| from their seats 6 and temporarily maintain them thus, thereby allowing a The sleeve 30 isv they do so on a gradually beveled Aface so as to give a short or long travel, as regulated by sliding the member I8 longitudinally. The exhaust mechanism is provided with similar rollers and cam members, the various elements associated with the exhaust valves being indicated by the same numerical characters with added to distinguish the same from the admission valve characters. (Thus the exhaust valve throats are |01, etc.)

The exhaust mechanism is providedwith beveled rollers |40, cam members I9', bell cranks |39, links |38, an end plate |01 secured to each exhaust valve throat and a rigid supporting bar |4| for pivotally supporting a bell crank.

In operation, an admission valve is opened so as to allow a charge of steam to enter the chamber of the casing I and exert a pressure upon one side of the piston 29 suicient to force it through asemi-circular arc. During this movement a Cam roller 40 travels on its associated cam I9 until it permits its associated valve head I I to close the inlet opening 5 andthereby allow the admitted steam to expand and perform its function of actuating the piston 29.

When the piston 29 has reached the endl of its stroke, the movement of the slidable cylinder I8 is such as to open the exhaust valve, this being effected by a cam I9 engaging with its associated exhaust roller |40. The opening of the exhaust Valve allows the steam on that particular side of the chamber to be discharged, and at the same time the admission Valve on the opposite end of the casing opens and through the admitted steam forces the hollow piston 29 to travel in a reverse direction.

'Ihe preferred 'construction for rotatably supporting the oscillating sleeve 30 and the shaftr2'8 comprises a plurality of tapered bearings 4I supported between races 42 that are suitably housed in semi-annular projections provided on the casing I and on the bottom plate 4. A crankcase 43 secured to the bottom plate `4 serves to hold suitable oil for lubricating certain of the working parts "of the engine.

The slidable sleeve I8 being mounted on the shaft |1 with the rollers 23 acting as keys 'to prevent turning of the shaft independently of the sleeve, affords means for regulating'the operation of the engine. The engine yis started, stopped, reversed and otherwise controlled by shifting the cam sleeve I8 so its cam members are brought into engagement with their associated rollers at properly timed intervals.

The finger 22 is slidably mounted on a rod 22a which is supported in suitable recessed enlargements I5' formed on the brackets I5. The finger 22 may be moved longitudinally back and forth on the rod 22a, to actuate the sleeve I8Y and thereby elfect the control of the engines operation. v

It is of course apparent that by providing a member 44 on the end of the shaft 28, power of an, oscillating character may be provided.

In applic'ants Patent No. 2,073,385, dated March 9, 1937, entitled vOscillating poppet valve engines, apparatus similar'inl certain respects to the present invention is disclosed.

Having described my invention, what Iclaim is: 1. In a `packing construction for a steam engine having a semi-spherical casing and an oscillating piston mounted in the casing which has vgrooves at its sides, sealing members located in p the grooves; and spring-pressed wedge means for urging the sealing members outwardly against l.the Wall of the casing.

2.'Ina steam engine, a semi-spherical casing,y la piston in the semi-sphericallyshaped casing;

fihaving an arcuate shaped sideconforming substantially to the shape of the casing, the said piston having groovesin its arcuate shaped side,

- oner or more arcuate shaped sealing members positioned in the grooves, having enlarged end portions, and, spring-'pressed wedges engaging with the enlarged ends of the sealing members for forcing the sealing members into rm contact with the casing Wall.

3. In a steam engine, a dome-shaped casing, a wedge-shaped piston in the casing having an arcuate shaped side conforming in shape to the shape of the casing, the said piston having one or more grooves in its arcuate shaped side, one

or more sealing members positioned in the grooves, each having enlarged Wedge shaped end poritons which normally engage at the upper sides with the piston, and spring-pressed wedges engaging with the under side of the enlarged Wedge shaped ends ofthe sealing members for forcing the sealing members into firm contact with the casing Wall.

ROBERT H. BLOCKER. 

